Cougar Bay Preserve
The 88-acre Cougar Bay Preserve is just minutes from downtown Coeur d’Alene. Visitors experience a virtual wildlife nursery on the northwest shore of one
of Idaho’s most beautiful lakes. Cougar Bay attracts migrating and nesting waterfowl, numerous shorebirds, songbirds, moose, beaver, otter and deer.
Facilities for visitors include interpretive hiking trails, an information kiosk and a restroom.
Currently, a one-mile loop trail is open for public use. The entrance to this trail may be accessed from Highway 95 at the big Cougar Bay Preserve sign.
The Nature Conservancy in Idaho maintains this trail and is working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a new trail system that will
expand the current trail system to the east, onto BLM forest land. Please note: in addition to the 1-mile loop maintained by the Conservancy, there is an
older trail system located to the south. Those trails are not maintained. They are located on private land and not open to the public. Please be respectful of
private property.
For the latest on trail access and conditions, please contact Kennon McClintock, North Idaho watershed manager, at 208-267-8999.
For more information:
Visit Nature.org’s Cougar Bay Preserve page